By: Andy Davies

The NFC West was considered the elite division in the NFL as little as a year ago but things have progressed since, despite having the current Super Bowl champions in the Los Angeles Rams. 

Russell Wilson is no longer in the division, and no one quite knows who will be the QB1 in San Francisco. 

But who is the divisions best quarterback? Here are the rankings of the NFC West quarterbacks from best to worst.

Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)

What better place to start than with the QB1 of the Super Bowl Champions. Whilst Stafford was not the reason the Rams won Super Bowl 56 over the Cincinnati Bengals, with 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, he was certainly the final piece of the jigsaw as the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since the 1999 season. 

The Rams were always contenders, making it all the way to Super Bowl 53, but there was always something missing at the quarterback position. Jared Goff did well but even he would admit he was probably not good enough to take the Rams where they needed.

He was traded to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Stafford and the rest is history. Stafford had reached the postseason on three previous occasions, but each time came up short at the first attempt. His lack of playoff wins was a factor pointed out by sceptics when he arrived but when the Rams made the playoffs, Stafford showed why the team gave up so much to get him. In four games, he threw for 1,188 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions as well as having a 70% completion percentage (98 from 140).

In the regular season, Stafford also impressed. Only Tom Brady (43) threw for more touchdown passes (41), with Stafford throwing for the third-most passing yards (4,886). 

Stafford is clearly the choice for the number one spot on this list and it will take a lot for the other players in this list to catch him up.

Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)

Murray’s future is unclear, with his fifth option exercised but no longer-term deal in place at time of writing. 

The 2019 first overall pick has shown signs of his potential but is yet to fulfil this on a consistent basis. In three seasons, he has thrown for 11,480 yards, 70 touchdowns and 34 interceptions, whilst also recording  1,786 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. 

A trend of Murray’s career so far is starting off the season well but tailing off down the stretch. He will need a big year to convince the Cardinals front office that he is the player moving forward. Either way, he still remains second on this list.

Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers)

When the 49ers lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship game back in January, it was seen by many to be the end of Jimmy G in San Francisco. However, he is still on the team.

Having missed OTA’s due to rehab on his shoulder,  he has yet to be traded. Say what you want about Jimmy G, but he wins games. Simple as that. Whilst he has never been the reason for the 49ers winning games, he is a very serviceable quarterback. With uncertainty over Lance after reports of the organisation being underwhelmed, Garoppolo is the right guy to be under centre for the 49ers in week one. 

Drew Lock/Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)

Whether it is Lock or Smith, there is no way they aren’t at the bottom of this list. Lock has a great start to life in the NFL, when he started for the Denver Broncos towards the end of the 2019 season, his 2020 and 2021 campaigns flattered to deceive. Meanwhile, Smith has been a backup for most of his career. Neither of these quarterbacks, whoever starts against the Broncos in week one, are likely to inspire confidence from fans or the Seattle coaching staff. 

The post Ranking the NFC West Quarterbacks right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jason Willis

For the last several years we have seen a young quarterback come into the season with questions and go on to take a massive leap. In 2018 we of course got to witness the emergence of Patrick Mahomes and his MVP season. In 2019 it was Lamar Jackson who proved critics wrong by leading an unstoppable Ravens offense and winning an MVP award of his own. Atlas, 2020 belonged to the Bills Josh Allen who finally put it all together to become an elite passer. In 2021, that player will be Kyler Murray.

In 2020, Kyler Murray had a stellar season. With 3,971 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions through the air and 819 yards rushing, and eleven more scores, he was a darling of the fantasy football community. However, from an on-field standpoint, it was imperative that he limited the mistakes, and take advantage of more opportunities. In 2021 not only has he done these things, but he also has improved on areas that were already a strength.

Much like the other players mentioned who took drastic leaps forward, Kyler is an incredible athlete. Early on, this athleticism dominated his playstyle whereas now, it accentuates it.

This play exhibits it well. As the pass rush closes in Murray is athletic enough to escape the rush but stays poised and keeps his eyes downfield. In doing so, he is able to find Rondale Moore of a long touchdown. In years past, a play like this likely turns into a sack as Murray tries to run. Instead, it’s a huge play.

Perhaps the only thing that could truly stop Kyler from achieving his potential is his head coach. Simply, Kliff Kingsbury is not an NFL-level play-caller. As such, much of the Cardinals offense comes from the former number one overall pick just improvising. If the Cardinals and Kyler are truly going to take the next step, they need more from their head coach.

As the season moves forward, time will tell if Murray can maintain this level of play. Currently, he has 1,005 yards passing with seven scores and three more on the ground. If this pace continues, he would finish 2021 with over 5,000 yards passing and over 35 touchdowns. While these numbers might not stay true, the talks of MVP are already ringing across the NFL. With the Cardinals sitting at 3-0 on the back of the Heisman winners’ play, who can blame them for talking?

Kyler Murray certainly still has more room to develop his game. However, just a few years ago we were all pretty convinced he would be the “shortstop for the Oakland A’s”. One of the most fun and exciting young players in the game today, 2022 is looking to be the year Murray takes over.

The post Cardinals QB Kyler Murray Is 2021’s breakout QB appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jeremy Trottier

The Arizona Cardinals have had another effective offseason, making it two now back to back where they have severely improved the team.  One of the biggest moves they have made in the prior offseasons is drafting quarterback Kyler Murray with the number one overall pick in 2019 to take over as QB1.  Now, two years later, Kyler is entering his third season and has proven to be a true dual threat quarterback who can get things done whenever possible.

In this article, I will be going over three reasons as to why Kyler could win MVP in 2021, as well as why these reasons contribute to him winning it.

Receiving Threat Improvements

One of the biggest and most prominent reasons Kyler could win MVP this year is he is absolutely surrounded by a plethora of weapons after the Cardinals signings and draft.  As of now, the Cardinals have added:

• A.J. Green (WR)
• Rondale Moore (WR)
• James Conner (RB)

On top of that, they already have one of the best receivers in the league with DeAndre Hopkins.  As well as Andy Isabella, Christian Kirk, Chase Edmonds, and a returning Eno Smith as other options.  The amount of players the Cardinals have been able to put out on the field for Kyler has been tremendous, and all of these players should contribute to him having a solid 2021 campaign.  It also allows a constant amount of receiving threats on the field, regardless of injuries that happen, since they have such a significant amount of depth.

Offensive Line Upgrade

This offseason the Cardinals have also brought in a few more pieces to protect Kyler via trades, signings, and even a draft pick.  The reasoning behind this giving Kyler a better chance at MVP is simple, the less he has to force throws under pressure, the more accurate they will be.  Despite being a mobile QB we did see what happens when you are constantly under pressure after his injury this year.  

As of right now, these are the moves they have made to improve the o-line:

• Kelvin Beachum (signing ”“ OT)
• Rodney Hudson (trade ”“ C)
• Brian Winters (signing ”“ OL)
• Max Garcia (signing ”“ OL)
• Cam Murray (UDFA signing ”“ OL)
• Michael Menet (Draft pick ”“ C)

Realistically a lot of these are depth signings, so they will help when injuries arise.  With that said, two of these players will be the starters, or are at least listed as so for now.  Those two being Rodney Hudson at center and Kelvin Beachum at RT.  This will help Murray get a little more protection than last year for sure and let him actually use the weapons listed previously.

More possessions due to improved defense

Finally, the hugely improved defensive unit for the Cardinals should definitely force more turnovers/punts and get the ball back in Kyler’s hands.  By now most fans of the NFL know the Cardinals signed veteran DE J.J. Watt, and retained Chandler Jones for the other edge.  The Cardinals also addressed this in the draft however on top of their signings.  

The additions of Zaven Collins at LB, Marco Wilson and Tay Gowan at CB, and James Wiggins at S could all make an impact.  They will also be utilizing Isaiah Simmons more often presumably, who will make a good impact at whatever position they choose to play him at.  Overall, all of these additions plus more should give Kyler a shot at getting the ball significantly more often.  

The post 3 reasons why Kyler Murray can win MVP in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.